CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
PANTHERS NEW HQ COULD GO TO FORT MILL
Perhaps it was no coincidence that during football season in Charlotte, it rained.
Not only did the Carolina Panthers suffer through the elements, so did their new owner, David Tepper.
The Panthers are one of only six NFL teams that don’t have an on-site, indoor practice facility of any kind.
“I'll be very surprised if we're not playing indoors before the end of next summer for practice,” Tepper told reporters in November.
Tepper, who says the Panthers will build a temporary practice bubble in 2019, chose his words and where he stopped them carefully.
And so did South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster at his recent inauguration when discussing economic competition, saying: “We will not fumble the football.
Tepper was reportedly on McMaster’s inauguration committee
Tepper has harped on “One Carolina,” indicating South Carolina will be part of the Carolina Panthers.
They could soon be a big part of it. Perhaps the team’s official headquarters and practice facility aside from Sundays on Mint Street.
Several months ago, Panthers play-by-play voice Mick Mixon let some details slip at a York Co., Chamber of Commerce meeting.
“What if I told you that a couple of hundred acres somewhere near here is going to be purchased very soon."
The site does seem to fit the Panthers well. All told, it’s about 300 acres, and that’s more than enough. The Minnesota Vikings new practice facility sits on about 200 acres, room for a team headquarters, and surrounding development.
After 17 seasons, Julius Peppers is calling it a career. The future Hall of Famer retired as the owner of many Panthers franchise records.
Julius Peppers announced his retirement from the NFL. The future Hall of Famer retired as the owner of many Panthers franchise records.
"Only time can reveal what's next, but my time here is up," Peppers said in the video posted to Twitter by the Carolina Panthers. "No regrets, no looking back. It's not goodbye, it's kind of like I'll see you later."
Peppers thanked the fans for their support through the years.
"Thank you for the spirit, the resolve and the attitude to keep pounding," Peppers said. "It's not something we just say around here, it's how we live."
Panthers head coach, Ron Rivera, also commented on the news of Peppers leaving saying "he's really and truly a Panther at heart.'
"Julius started his career with the Panthers and was one of those iconic players," Rivera stated. "Then he took off went to Chicago, went to Greenbay but having the opportunity to have him come back and finish his career with us was tremendous."
While in Atlanta for the Superbowl, Rivera took the time to sit down with NBC Charlotte's Kelsey Riggs to discuss what he learned during a midseason slump, how it feels being in Atlanta despite not playing in the Super Bowl and of course, Cam Newton's shoulder.
Rivera joked that he was bitter to be at the game and not playing.
"Yeah, that'd probably be the best way to put it," he said. "We've been to the mountaintop but we haven't stood on top of it and that's what I want to do.
"And I believe we have the makings of it, I really do."
After a red hot 6-2 start, the Panthers lost seven games in a row. It all started with a devastating 52-21 loss in Pittsburgh. Rivera said that loss triggered doubt in his team's heads.
"I think the Pittsburgh game put us in a situation, where for a couple of games, we kind of felt like, 'oh, OK, something bad is going to happen,'" Rivera said. "It was just going to be an avalanche or it was going to be that snowball going downhill that we couldn't stop."
Rivera said it bothered him as the head coach to not recognize his team's mindset and get them out of that funk. He said those missed opportunities were what he took away from a disappointing 7-9 record.
York County has sought a light rail extension for years, but that comes with a $1.2 billion price tag. Perhaps a new Panthers development would provide an assist.
"Hopefully if the Panthers come light rail will follow,” he said, “and that is a huge issue here in York County"
The county has sought a light rail extension for years, but that comes with a $1.2 billion price tag.
Perhaps a new Panthers development would provide an assist.
And in return, Erik Spanberg of the Charlotte Business Journal says, South Carolina can offer the Panthers heavy financial and tax incentives.
"South Carolina has tended to be much more aggressive when it comes to corporate incentives of any kind. And then you throw in the cache of being able to have an NFL team based in your state,” he said. “I think all of that makes it very attractive to politicians in South Carolina. That's why many are suspecting that they will ultimately get the Panthers headquarters.”